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  • 2017 British GP: Thursday Press Conference – Part 2

    2017 British GP: Thursday Press Conference – Part 2

    PART TWO: Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes), Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull Racing), Daniil KVYAT (Toro Rosso), Pascal WEHRLEIN (Sauber)

    Q: Lewis, four-time British Grand Prix winner, looking to equal the record of five. How have you spent the last few days in the build-up to the race and are we set to get a strong statement from you on track here, as so often in the past?

    Lewis HAMILTON: It’s good to be here. I tried to prepare in the best way I can, quite relaxed the past few days and I’ve come here excited for the weekend, as always. You’ve got the championship, which is obviously the most important thing, but a very close second, if not tied, is the British Grand Prix, being a home grand prix, the home of motorsport, such an incredible, intense weekend. Every year it is a must-win for a British driver, so yeah I tried to prepare the best way I could.

    Q: Daniel, you looked like you were having fun in London yesterday evening, but you’ve also been having fun on track with 70 points from the last four races I think it is, second best tally in the field. What does that say about your competitiveness now?

    Daniel RICCIARDO: It’s certainly getting better. The season started slow but we’ve found some good momentum the last few races. I think Austria was a bit of a breakthrough in a way. It was a third, obviously not as good on paper as Baku, but in terms of actual performance we finished six or seven seconds off the win and there were no safety cars and it felt like really for once this year had genuine pace and we could run pretty much with the pace of the leaders. So that was super encouraging. Last few laps it was looking like it was going to get tight. I’d held that podium spot the whole race and I could see Lewis closing in, so I was relieved to have stayed on the podium when it looked like he was going to come past pretty easily at some point. It felt like from one lap to the next he was in my mirrors. I didn’t really have to look in the mirrors most for the race but then I saw a car and I was hoping it was a car that had come out of the pits, out of sequence, and it stayed in my mirrors for a few corners. Then I had a proper look and it was a silver car and I knew it wasn’t Valtteri, so I knew we would have a bit on the last few laps but it’s been a good run, so we’re building.

    And last night?

    DR: Oh last night, yeah, it was a good event. Look, I’m sure that would have been pretty difficult to organise and get that all going but I felt like it was a success and you know, we had a bit of time on track to try to give the fans what they wanted to see. I doubt they left disappointed.

    Q: Daniil, we had a big discussion in part one about the idea of using street promotions and the kind of thing we saw yesterday. What do you think of the idea of putting events on like that and reaching out to fans, in a place like Moscow for example?

    Daniil KVYAT: I think it would work – not in January! But in summer yes, I think why not. I mean if every year, once a year, they could rotate this kind of event between one of the biggest cities of the world to promote the sport, then I think why not. Like Daniel said it was a good success yesterday I think. A lot of people there in the city centre of London. It was a cool and enjoyable atmosphere and I think it was nice for sure.

    Q: Pascal, coming to you, how are you finding life at Sauber without Monisha Kaltenborn, but with the prospect of Fred Vasseur arriving as the new team principal.

    Pascal WEHRLEIN: I’m looking forward that Fred is coming. I respect him a lot for what he has done in motorsport so far, like in junior categories and last year in Formula One. So, looking forward to working with him and let’s see where he can bring Sauber.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) Just repeating a question from a colleague from the previous session. Lewis, Copse corner this year? Do we think it will be flat in eighth and if so what is that going to be like and if so how will it compare with Becketts in terms of fun factor?

    LH: I think Copse is going to be flat this year. I would imagine quite easy, yeah. I would imagine probably eighth, you should get to eighth by then. It’s going to be rapid. I don’t think any of us are prepared for how quick Silverstone is going to be compared to previous years. It was awesome in the last race. Maggots and Becketts, again, are going to be the same. It’s going to be a physical race for us, being that it is mostly medium and high-speed corners. The G that we are going to be pulling is definitely going to be one up, maybe two, who knows, but it’s going to be a lot of fun.

    Daniel, you’re nodding and smiling, as if you’re looking forward to this?

    LH: It’s because he’s got an upgrade package!

    DR: Ha! We’ve got more coming later. It’s going to be fun. I love high-speed corners. From Turn 9 to 15, Copse to Stowe, it’s some of the coolest sequences… probably [the best] mile of race track we go on all year. We got a taste of it, as Lewis said, in Austria. The second, third sector we were carrying some serious speed, so it’s a sign of what this weekend is going to be like I think.

    Q: (Jon McEvoy – Daily Mail) If they organised an event such as last night’s again in London, would you all go?

    DK: You mean every day or what? Probably no. But next year again? Why not. Wednesday? Yeah I think why not, of course.

    LH: I guess I’ll decide when the time comes.

    DR: Yeah.

    PW: Yeah I would and I would do more donuts, as Daniel did.

    DR: That was controlled sliding.

    Q: Is that what you told the council?

    DR: It’s alright… arrest me.

    Q: (Ben Hunt – The Sun) Lewis, just in your words, why were you the only driver not there when your colleagues were there and you were missing?

    LH: I don’t why I was the only one. Everyone had the right to make their decision for themselves. For me, I felt that it’s been a pretty intense season so far and I felt for me, I needed to prepare the best way that I could for this weekend. The season’s the most important thing for me. That’s really it.

    Q: (Rachel Brookes – Sky TV) Lewis, just following on, from what you saw of yesterday’s event and the crowd that turned out that was there, you’re someone who talks a lot about what you get from the fans and how much it helps you. Looking at those pictures and what happened, do you feel that actually being there yesterday might have helped you coming into this weekend and given you a boost a day early even, coming into the British Grand Prix?

    LH: I generally haven’t been on my phone the last couple of days, I tried to switch off, I switch on a couple of times just to receive a message but otherwise I’ve tried to stay away from it. Personally, I feel I prepared the best way for this weekend and that’s really all I can do. Of course, there are people who have other opinions about it but I’m trying to do the best… it’s a very intense season, I’m trying to prepare the best way I can. Other people will have different ways of doing so. I love this Grand Prix, I love this race so I feel yesterday, personally, plays any role in how great this weekend is for me. Every season, for the last years has been incredible, it’s been growing every year. You get people who have saved up so much through the year to come up to this Grand Prix and I think you will have seen over the previous years how much I appreciate and respect that and tried to give and enjoy the weekend with the fans and that doesn’t change.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) Lewis, on the same topic, there’s suggestions that there has been some sort of disagreement over the use of your image for this particular event, that you wanted to be paid or something like that. Can you refute that categorically?

    LH: Yeah, that’s… No, I mean I told the organisers last week that I wouldn’t be going. I spoke to Toto, informed the team which was very understanding and understood and respectful of the decision. Yeah, I think they used my image so that wasn’t a problem.

    Q: (Rob Harris – AP) Lewis, first of all, how is flying for what, seven or eight hours round trip to Greece better preparation than staying in the UK? And you were booed by the fans in London, they obviously are unhappy with you, this was a big event, used by the F1 owners to try and engage with fans. You are the biggest British driver. What were your thoughts when you heard they actually booed you?

    LH: To be honest, I didn’t really know about it. In terms of flying, I don’t live here so I wouldn’t have been here anyway as I was back in Monaco first, but I fly a lot longer than that for trips and I usually arrive pretty good. But you know, right now my focus is on this weekend, making sure I put every bit of energy into this great weekend that we have and I received incredible love from the fans every single year that I’ve come here. Yeah, looking forward to seeing them.

    Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Lewis, sorry to keep harping on about yesterday, but do you still stand by your decision and do you think it was the right decision, given you were the only driver missing? You’re the home star, you’re the home favourite. Do you think you got it wrong?

    LH: Well, I mean, like I said, I think I’ve felt like I’ve answered as much as I really want to. I’m solely focused on this weekend now, I feel great, being here, I feel the best prepared I could be.

    Q: (Stephen Camp – Paddock Magazine) I was just wondering, I asked the last four drivers if there was anything that Liberty had come to you about, what you would like to give back to the fans. Are there any ideas that you would like to give back to the fans, anything that you would like to do to widen the audience of the sport?

    DR: Not anything right now, off the top of my head. Yeah. You’ve kind of got me. I don’t know. I wasn’t expecting to be asked the question. We’ll come back…

    DK: Well, I just drive the car, you know. I think that’s what I should be focused on. I think there are other people who know how to do their job a bit better for that.

    LH: I don’t really have all the ideas. I think there are people who make those decisions.

    DR: Probably more locations, where we go. I think we can keep expanding in different parts of the world perhaps. I guess put F1 on the map in places that it’s not currently. That can always help to raise awareness of our sport and give people an interest. Yeah, that’s something that comes to mind.

    PW: I think that after yesterday some louder engines again. It was really nice to hear the old V8 engines, that was great. Hopefully we can have the same in the future again.

    Q: (Andrew Benson – BBC Sport) Lewis, I’m not going to ask about London! This weekend – it’s obviously been very close between Mercedes and Ferrari all season – but with the different characteristics between the two cars, do you feel that this might be one of the tracks that’s more suited to Mercedes and it could be a particularly strong weekend for the team?

    LH: I hope so but I think that being that we’re (indistinct) on the car you would have hoped that it would have worked better in the medium and high speed corners but if you look at previous races, the last one, the Ferraris were very strong, the Red Bulls were very strong in all sections but there is also that balance of the high speed as well and drag. I think it will be very very close but I’ve heard that these guys have brought a big upgrade. He’s always smiling anyway so he smiling a little bit more…

    DR: I’m good at bluffing, I always smile because you never know. We’ve got more.

    LH: You’ve got more. They did a great job in the last race so to see Red Bull up there I think is great, to see a three way team challenge competition and I think this weekend’s going to be… you know, they were very very strong here last year, particularly on intermediates, in the race, so I think it’s going to be a spectacular British Grand Prix in that respect.

    Q: (Graham Harris – Motorsport Monday) Daniel Ricciardo, you seem to be really getting into the shoey business on the podium and the podiums are becoming more and more regular. You are persuading the interviewers to drink but you’re not having very much luck with your fellow drivers. Can you think of any way to encourage them to join you, and to the other three: should you be up there with Daniel, would you be partaking of the amber nectar?

    DR: Well, most of the last ones have actually come from the others wanting – not the drivers – but the interviewees if you call them (he means interviewers) – they’ve been wanting to do it. I honestly didn’t plan on doing it in even Baku – I was ‘ah, I won’t do it.’ But DC took my shoes off and then Austria, Martin was like frothing for it. So I feel that there are some really sick bastards around here. I never thought it would continue like this. Even yesterday, people were shouting it. I’m just walking along, minding my business and they’re like shouting ‘do a shoey.’ I don’t actually just take my shoe off while I’m walking in the street and drink out of it. I feel like I’ve dug a hole for myself with this one. On that note, I feel like it’s been fun. I want to say it’s run its course. We’ll see what happens but I heard that the Finns drink, I really heard that. But Valtteri did not carry his flag well last Sunday. I mean shame on him! He needed vodka in it, so Valtteri Bottas – disappointed. And that’s it. No more shoeys.

    Lewis, you’ve avoided it so far…

    LH: Absolutely. I still stand firm on… I told you… the juice from the foot is not something that I wish to drink, especially someone else’s!

    DR: It’s risky with back-to-backs. It is! We put – all the podium guys could end up in hospital for a week. Yeah.

    Q: (Ralf Bach – Sport Bild) For all of you: we heard that Red Bull has a great update on the car. What are the updates of Toro Rosso, Sauber, Mercedes, Red Bull here and in the future; what is planned? 

    DK: Well, it’s probably not as much as these guys but we also try, we try hard and hopefully there will be some, maybe Budapest. I think we’re working on it and I think that it will be efficient so let’s see.

    PW: We expect a big one in Budapest. I was in the factory two weeks ago and I was told in Budapest there’s a big one coming, hopefully.

    Q: Any particular reason why there?

    PW: I don’t know. As soon as possible, hopefully.

    So you’ve obviously got a massive upgrade this weekend, Daniel, another one coming…

    DR: No, I do believe we’ve got something significant for Budapest and this weekend it’s usual bits and pieces which we kind of bring now nearly every race but Budapest is probably more of an  advertised update as opposed to this weekend.

    Q: And the reason why it’s there?

    DR: I think mostly it seems it just takes time, but yeah, it’s a high downforce package.

    LH: We had a small upgrade in the last race and I think we’ve got some small bits here but nothing major. Similar to what Daniel was saying, and I think in the next race there will be some small parts as well. I think after the break there will be more substantial bits coming.

    Q: (Jon McEvoy – Daily Mail) The day before the hearing, the FIA hearing into Sebastian Vettel and his accident with Lewis, the boss of Mercedes, Toto Wolff, went to a birthday party to celebrate the thirtieth of Sebastian Vettel. I was wondering, from all drivers, would you be surprised most relevantly for Lewis, but would you be surprised and see it as maybe an act of loyalty or otherwise for your boss to go to a birthday of a rival with whom you’ve just had an accident before the hearing?

    DR: Free alcohol. Doesn’t matter how much money you make, you don’t turn that down.

    Unless it’s out of your shoe.

    DR: Yeah, actually, good point.

    LH: All I can do is laugh at that one. I don’t really have an answer for that one to be honest. That’s the dumbest question I’ve had so far.

    PW: I think Seb is a really nice guy so I would also go to his birthday.

    DR: Why weren’t you invited?

    PW: I don’t know! Maybe he doesn’t think that I’m nice.

    Q: Daniil, were you washing your hair that evening or did you go as well?

    DK: I was hoping you’d forgotten about me already. I don’t have an answer for you. I cannot even imagine.

    DR: There was an invite for the torpedo. I saw it. Not so cool.

    DK: You have a good memory.

    Q: (Giles Richards – The Guardian) Lewis, sorry to return to this but it’s quite a big issue: you’ve always tried to connect… you’ve made a point of trying to connect with your fans. Do you think it was a missed opportunity not attending yesterday, given that a lot of people who were there, who were attending, would be kids and people who can’t afford to go Grands Prix, so this was a really good chance to connect with those people who just can’t make it to Silverstone?

    LH: Like I’ve said, I feel like I’ve said everything I want to say on the subject but I like to think that I do everything I can to connect with the fans. I do have the biggest following in Formula One and I communicate with them as much as I can. The fans mean everything to me and they always have. I’ve made no secret of that. I think hopefully my commitments to the sport over the last ten years and what I do actually outside the sport, things that perhaps you don’t comment on such as when I go and visit the hospitals and spend time with young kids who can’t come to a Grand Prix. That’s not something you report on but that’ s actually very important to me and that’s where I put my energy mostly. I think lots of us have decisions to make and you have to stand firm with the decisions you make and feel proud of the decisions you make and I personally do and this weekend, as I say, coming here and give everything to shine as much light and raise the flag in the best way I can, and try the best I can. The goal is to win the British Grand Prix for my home crowd. I’ve been very fortunate the last few years to do that and the yearning and the need to do that again is greater than ever.

    Q: (Dieter Rencken – Racing Lines) To the three non-Mercedes drivers: you’ve heard what Lewis said; do you guys feel that you’ve prepared any less intensively for this race by being in London and not being on a beach in Greece, for example? And just because you’re not leading the championship or up there, do you feel that you haven’t prepared as well for this weekend?

    DR: Each to their own. We’re all adults now. Obviously the spotlight’s on Lewis because he was the only one that wasn’t there, out of all of us, so I understand that but yeah, he’s been doing it long enough to know what he needs to do. For me, personally, I thought it was a good event. I thought it was a good opportunity to reach out, obviously, to a few more fans but it also gives Liberty some more encouragement. They’re trying to start something now so just to get behind that and see where we can take it.

    PW: Nothing to add.

    DK: I think Lewis justified it very clearly. I think everyone has different preparations. I think it’s enough said on the topic.

    Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing ) Daniil, this year Toro Rosso has shown some real pace on occasions but it seems to be quite difficult for the team to have a consistent weekend from Friday morning to Sunday night, Austria being a good example: very quick and then it fell away in qualifying. What is your feeling about that, why did it happen in Austria, for example?

    DK: I think in Austria we know really what happened in qualifying, and we dropped a bit out of the working window in the important session. Coming to the year, I would say that for my personal case, Sundays, for one reason or another, on the good days the races were not finished and I think it’s very important because that’s when the points are given on that day and I think that’s what I’m looking for really. I’ve had really good Fridays, really good Saturdays, good Sundays until the car stopped but now what we’re looking for is to put all three days together and that should bring good things to my side of the garage

  • 2017 British GP: Thursday Press Conference – Part 1

    2017 British GP: Thursday Press Conference – Part 1

    PART ONE: DRIVERS – Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes), Romain GROSJEAN (Haas), Lance STROLL (Williams), Jolyon PALMER (Renault)

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Valtteri, we’ll begin with you. Second win and, more importantly, in the last four races Hamilton 53 points, Vettel 67, Ricciardo 70, Bottas 73. You must feel you’ve got some real momentum now in your campaign to be World Champion.

    Valtteri BOTTAS: Definitely got some good momentum now. We’ve been having strong races – as a team – and the car seems to be getting better and better and I feel the same, the same for me really. It’s still my first year with the team and always getting to know the team better. It always helps with everything and, of course, every single lap you get more comfortable with the new cars etcetera. So just try to continue the good run with a good weekend here.

    Q: Jolyon, F1 Live London yesterday, you were there in your Renault retro getup celebrating the 40th anniversary of the company’s F1 debut. What did you think of the event and what it says about Formula One and its place in this country?

    Jolyon PALMER: It was awesome. So many people there, in my home city as well so it was really cool. I think it was the first time anything like that has been done. It was great to see almost all the drivers there. So many people, different cars through the eras as well, it was great fun for me to drive up there. So, it was great. I’m sure it was such a success that, from my point of view, there’ll be a lot more of it in the future.

    And the retro look?

    JP: I liked it. It was 1977 car and wearing the retro overalls. It was nice to try something different as well, try different cars.

    Q: Lance, three straight points finishes including, of course, the podium in Baku. How much did the afterglow from that podium help you to feel really settled here in Formula One?

    Lance STROLL: It was a great result, yeah the last few races have been good. Just getting more experience in the car, feeling more comfortable every time I get in the car. I think it’s really just been a good three races. The podium was the highlight of the season, that’s for sure. Crazy race, we just stayed in it all the way until to the end and took home a great podium. It’s given me a lot of confidence for sure, knowing that I can be there and fight. It was a great day – but got to keep going.

    Q: Romain, another great result in Austria, built on strong qualifying and a fantastic start. So the car – and you – are capable of the results but what will it take to find consistency.

    Romain GROSJEAN: Afternoon. I don’t really know. I think a lot of people don’t know, when things happen in a bit of a strange way – like Williams in qualifying in Austria, where they were in Q1 when they are normally always in Q3. We went well. We got everything to work. Tyres, we know we’ve got a good platform. I guess experience is the key and we’re only 28 grands prix in our life for Haas F1 Team. There are things we need to improve and understand but when everything is working well we’ve got a very strong package.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (David Croft – Sky Sports F1) A question for Lance, Romain and Jolyon after Valtteri’s brilliant start in Austria seven days ago – how many of you think he anticipated the lights and got away with it and how many think it was an absolutely brilliant reaction from him and could you do any better?

    Romain?

    RG: He didn’t jump the start. Did he anticipate the start? For sure. 100 per cent.

    Jolyon?

    JP: It sure looks like a jump but I’m sure he anticipated it perfectly.

    And Lance?

    LS: For sure it was on the limit – but he got away with it. So, it’s all good.

    Valtteri, your right to respond.

    VB: Waiting for the lights to go out. I don’t know. With starts, doing starts and starts you just kind of know always, more or less, when they’re going to go off and, you know, sometimes you can try and be a bit more risky and this was definitely a risky one but it paid off because it’s an absolutely perfect start. Nothing more to say.

    Q: (Phil Duncan – PA) Valtteri, how did it feel to be the only Mercedes driver yesterday at the London event. Were you disappointed that Lewis wasn’t there with you?

    VB: I think everyone has the right to decide which kind of events you attend to and, you know, I’m not really the one to answer that – I don’t really know his schedule. So, for me, it’s absolutely fine. And although I was the only team member there it was still all good. I did enjoy the event myself, it was a great event in general, especially for the fans to get so close to F1 and see, in a different way, Formula One. And also a great experience for me, y’know? Never drove a Formula One car before in Central London so that was really cool. So yeah, even though I was alone it was really good for me.

    Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) Valtteri, I’m amazed to hear you say there’s a risk element to the start. Are you saying that there’s a little bit of a gamble, that you might actually jump it, you do try to anticipate it? Or do you actually… are you talking about a risk of how quickly you can react to the lights going out? What do you actually mean by that?

    VB: Well, having a start like that definitely you need to gamble a little bit. If you’re moving exactly at the same point the lights go off you definitely need to be a bit on the risky side rather than safe side. Everyone is obviously free to try and kind of guess when the lights go off.

    Q: (Graham Harris – Motorsport Monday) Question for Romain. You’re into your second year with Haas, last year we talked about the possibility of you perhaps trying a NASCAR. Now that you’re cemented in the team and you’ve got a month’s break coming up and there’s Watkins Glen road course coming, any chances of you going on holiday in the States…

    RG: No. The schedule’s getting tight. I wish we’d had a NASCAR yesterday in London. We didn’t have a car so it would have been fun to drive a NASCAR around London – but to be fair, if we do it, we need to do it properly and I need to get a test before, get used to the brake, for example, and see how it goes.

    Q: (Rob Harris – AP) Question to Valtteri. You said on the London event that everyone has their own right to decide whether to attend or not. First of all, why did you decide to attend when obviously Lewis Hamilton didn’t. And do you think that drivers have an obligation to go to these events, particularly at a time when the sport says it’s trying to reach out to new fans, and one of the biggest names in the sport in this country thought he’d go on holiday instead?

    VB: Well, basically, when I first heard about this event and that it was most-likely going to happen, they asked all the drivers to attend and I immediately said yeah, I could attend – and also my team was asking me to attend, so I knew it was just before Silverstone, in the same country, so for me it was all OK.

    Q: (Rachel Brookes – Sky Sports F1) To all four of you really. I know you get a lot of call on your time anyway as it is – but an event like that, the day before Silverstone, has that given you guys a lift? Are you glad you went to it? The looks on your faces look like you really enjoyed it – so has it given you a boost coming into the weekend?

    Lance?

    LS: I think it was a great event for everyone. For the fans, for us drivers something different. I don’t think it gives us a boost but I think it was a good day and I’m fully on board with more of those days to hopefully come in the future.

    JP: I think it’s nice. It’s my home crowd as well so it’s probably especially nice for me. It’s a bit like Goodwood really. You see fans up close to the cars, they’re all very happy and it kind of makes you happy as well. It was fun.

    VB: Like I said before I thought it was great. Great event and I was happy. Happy that I could make it. It was good fun.

    Romain?

    RG: Same thing. I was very happy that I was there. We didn’t have a car but I enjoyed the show, seeing others cars, seeing the McLaren, the Renault, the old V12, the old V6 and then some of the Red Bulls, and donuts in London! Then I was pretty amazed when we went on stage, to see so many people. It was just a great show. Good to see that most of us went.

    Q: (Ben Hunt – The Sun) Question to anyone who wants to answer really. Back-to-back races, it’s quite important, I thought, to get momentum. Any of you taken a holiday in between back-to-back races – and do you think it’s a good idea.

    Jolyon?

    JP: No and no.

    RG: My kids are on holiday – so it’s no holiday for me at all.

    Lance, obviously it’s a fairly new experience for you. How does it feel to have consecutive weekends?

    LS: Yeah, sure, it’s a busy week. The London Live on Wednesday – but I took a few days to myself, Monday, Tuesday.

    Q: (Ysef Harding – Xiro Xone News) To all of you, to the previous question about Wednesday. What other places would you like to see the F1 Live events held?

    Lance? I guess you’re going to say Montreal…

    LS: Yeah, that would be great. I think the big cities. Wherever we go where there’s a good crowd and people can turn up. I think it’s good for everyone.

    Paris?

    RG: Paris would be good – especially with the French Grand Prix coming back next year – but I guess New York, L.A. Could be some pretty amazing cities to have an event.

    Valtteri? Helsinki?

    VB: Nastola, Finland! My home town. If I could choose.

    JP: Drive down to Clapham! Just shift it down.

    Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) To the other three drivers, whether or not you think in terms of taking a gamble, trying to anticipate the start, or whether you rely on your reflexes for the lights to go out – bearing in mind the penalty of jumping a start?

    Romain, you took off like a rocket on Sunday. What’s your answer?

    RG: No, I normally don’t gamble. I think about it but I just normally react to the lights.

    JP: I think if you gamble nine times out of ten you will get it wrong, to be honest. I think everyone’s normally waiting for the lights to go out.

    LS: I’m no different. I just go when the lights go off.

    Out of interest, do you practice this? Do you have lights that go out? A digital thing that you can practice it on?

    JP: My engineer’s been practising on a little clicky computer now, I think ever since Valtteri last weekend.

    And what’s the fastest you can do it?

    JP: 0.03, wasn’t it?

    LS: I’m not sure, I don’t really look at my numbers.

    And you Romain?

    RG: I’m normally within two and three tenths but I wouldn’t play much.

    Q: (Rifa Uddin – Renaissance Foundation) My question is to all of you. What advice would you give to a younger generation that are interested in Formula One?

    Lance?

    LS: Make sure that you think about it because it’s an interesting world. It’s a very unique business. I think y’know, obviously, you need to work hard at whatever you’re doing in Formula One. You need to follow your dreams and always believe you can get there. At the end of the day that’s what’s important.

    Jolyon?

    JP: To be a Formula One driver’s extremely tough. If someone’s very interested the only way is to have a go. But also, I think it’s worth bearing in mind most people in Formula One are not drivers. They are also mechanics, and engineers, and catering and marketing. If you’re interested in Formula One, then there’s a lot of avenues to go for.

    Valtteri?

    VB: I always think that definitely having goals in your career, whether it is to be a driver or in general, or a mechanic in Formula One, always to have a goal. It really makes you work harder every day for it. Anything’s always possible in life so always good to set a goal.

    Romain?

    RG: It’s a good summary by the guys. Don’t give up on the dream. I lost Formula One once and I dreamt of coming back and I managed to come back, so that’s the key.

    Q: (Stephen Camp – Paddock Magazine) You all looked to enjoy yourselves yesterday at the show but has Liberty Media come to all four of you and the rest of the paddock about any other events that you would like to put on or any ideas that you have for the sport in general.

    Valtteri?

    VB: Not yet, haven’t heard anything more.

    Q: (Iolande Skinner – Motorsport Monday) Question for Romain, after such a great result in Austria, how’s this affected your confidence in yourself and also in the car?

    RG: I think, y’know, confidence, the key’s not to lose it at any time. We’ve all had good races, bad races but I believe in your career you need to believe in yourself. If not, there’s almost no point turning in. The car… well the car, it’s a girl and she’s a bit up and down, y’know? Decides which mood she wants to come in. Hopefully she’s still in a good mood and we’ll have a good weekend here.

    Q: (Tony Dodgins – Channel 4) What with the London Live event and talk about a possible, potential street race in the future in London, obviously Silverstone has talked about exercising a break clause after 2019. How sad would you all be to see Silverstone not part of the F1 schedule? How important is it to you guys?

    Jolyon?

    JP: Well, for me it’s very important. This is where I probably grew my passion for Formula One, so it’s been my local track, my home track for my home life. I first came here in the ’90s and got a real passion for it and now the history and tradition here are pretty big. A London race would also be very cool – but I think Silverstone is also quite important for Formula One.

    Q: Valtteri?

    VB: I agree really. I would be also really sad not to race here. It is a track everyone loves and I personally think it’s one of the best venues for the fans. The atmosphere here is really special. Formula One definitely needs the British Grand Prix, because of all the history and most of the teams are based here. But if not here then hopefully for example central London but, yeah…

    Q: Lance?

    LS: I think it would be a shame not to be racing at Silverstone anymore. I think there is so much history here. It’s great for the fans, it’s one of the best races, although I’ve never participated in it before, but the crowd really gets into it and it’s probably one of the best races of the year so it would definitely be a shame to lose it.

    Q: And Romain?

    RG: Yeah, pretty similar. It’s a great place to race. Most of the teams are around the track as well, so it’s very important as every team around looks forward to racing here. Driving wise it’s one of the most enjoyable track on the calendar, so hopefully we get more years here.

    Q: (Peter Windsor – F1 Racing) Valtteri, I’m interested to know when you win a race do you get any feedback from Nico Rosberg – email, text, anything at all – winning in his car, as you are?

    VB: No. I saw him last time I think Monaco Grand Prix. We had a bit of a chat and he told me that he thinks I’m doing a good job and obviously that was nice to hear from him. Otherwise, no messages or anything. I’m getting quite a lot of feedback from the team about everything, so it’s all good.

    Q: (Alex Cheale – Renaissance Foundation) I just wanted to know who are your inspirations for driving?

    RG: Good question. I started watching rallies to be fair. So it was Carlos Sainz and Didier Auriol and then in racing, Formula One, I started watching in ’93, ’94, same time as rallies, Prost and Senna and that was a great fight.

    VB: For me, definitely when I was a kid it was Häkkinen, when he won his first race, his first title, second title I was watching him closely so he was massive motivation for me.

    JP: No one particularly for me but I think when I was young Damon Hill was the British champion and fighting so him.

    LS: For me when I was growing up it was Schumacher. He was the guy I looked up to.

    Q: (Graham Harris – Motorsport Monday) A question for Jolyon. You’ve had a string of 11th places and a lot of bad luck this year and you’re still chasing the magical point on the board. How much pressure do you feel at the moment to put points on the board? Do you feel that your drive under threat? Has the team been vocal about it? Have they put you under any kind of targets to meet?

    JP: No. I’m trying my best all the time. The pressure? I put a lot on myself. Of course I wanted to score points by now but it’s not been possible. But I have also had a lot of bad luck. I think most of the reliability problems have been on my side of the garage. We missed some races where I think there were some good chances to score, like Baku, where I had a lot of problems. And then of course all these 11th places. It’s frustrating. Every time I have been 11th there has been a car, last time it was Lance, that is right in front of me but it’s not possible to overtake, actually it was Romain before as well. It’s frustrating like that, but it’s pretty close and we’re not even half way through the year. Things are starting to click a bit better now, so hopefully I can carry the momentum into this weekend and then the rest of the year, I’m sure it will get much stronger.

    Q: (Giles Richards – The Guardian) You were talking about the younger generation earlier. In terms of encouraging a new generation to get into Formula One, do you think attending events such as the demo is absolutely key to bringing a new generation of fans to the sport?

    RG: It definitely helps. It’s not easy to afford to come to a grand prix, when you’re a dad with two kids for example. So yeah, events like this, where you get to see the cars… I fell in love with motorsport when I was going to see my dad racing in Formula 3. When I saw those cars going around I said: “I want to do that when I’m big”. That’s a key element. I think there are more, clearly getting the passion when you are a kid, you dream about things and it’s just make the kids dream that they can do it and they get the feel of what is Formula One and they will join as big fans.

    VB: I think definitely events like this will motivate a lot of young kids. I think it is important for many kids to have opportunities to see F1 live at least once in their childhood. I don’t think it is the only way to get people excited. Personally for me it was enough that I was just doing go-karts. I was watching all the races on TV and I was playing Formula One games. Actually the first time I saw a Formula One car live was 2010 I think. But I was obviously quite keen much, much before that.

    JP: I don’t think it is the only way but I think it is a big contributor. It’s great for people to be up close and see the cars in action. I think for a lot of people in London they hadn’t had that experience before especially to be three metres from the track and then of course to see the stars as well. It’s all about the cars going quick and making some noise and then the stars driving them as well. When I was young, seeing the cars in action – OK it was at Silverstone and not in London – but I was like “wow, this is pretty cool”, so for most people it’s a great incentive.

    LS: Yeah, I think every opportunity to get close to some Formula One cars is great – races, hopefully more F1 Lives to come, it’s always great to see some cars.

    Q: How old were you when you first saw a Formula One car?

    LS: I was young. I was probably four or five when I went to the Montreal grand prix for the first time.

    Q: (Steven Camp – Paddock Magazine) With Silverstone being one of the fastest tracks on the calendar and the upped pace in performance from the 2017 cars, do any of you think you can take Copse flat out?

    VB: Well, it’s always from simulations and driving the simulator and stuff it’s difficult to say for sure, but it could well be, at least with the low fuel. We will see on Saturday at the latest. But it is going to be a lot of fun with these new cars. It’s been anyway in the past years a great circuit, being in the car, driving a Formula One car around here. But I’m really looking forward to this one, it’s going to be really cool.

    Q: If it was, what speed and what gear would it be?

    VB: It could be eighth or seventh gear. I don’t know about the speed.

    RG: That could be the limitation, because if we go in in eighth, the exit might be a bit tricky.

  • F1 2017 – British Grand Prix Preview

    F1 2017 – British Grand Prix Preview

    We are at the halfway point in the season with the British Grand Prix coming up in a few days. Round 10 of the Formula One World Championship takes place at the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit in Northamptonshire, England.

    Silverstone has been one of the tracks that have been ingrained in Formula 1 history. It has always been linked in one way or another to Formula One since the 1940’s.

    The new Arena Grand Prix Circuit configuration has been used since 2010 and features the new inner field section of the Abbey, Farm, Villiage, The Loop and Aintree corners.

    A lap around Silverstone consists of fast and medium speed sweeping corners that demand good grip from the front end on turn-in and then good traction out of the corners. Because of the fast sweeping nature of the track, a mistake small mistake can easily translate to a big loss in lap time.

    The track is very quick, even so, teams run quite high down-force levels as the straights are not that long. The longest straight on the circuit is the Hangar Straight coming in at 770m long.

    Pirelli have dropped the Orange-marked hard compound tyre for this weekend and have gone one step softer on the tyre compounds compared to last year. The super soft tyre makes is debut at Silverstone this year. The high energy loads through the fast corners and the abrasive surface makes degradation high. Pirelli say that they’re expecting a two-stop race, possibly three.

    Coming into the race Sebastian Vettel holds a 20 point lead in the championship standings over Lewis Hamilton. It’s a nice little cushion for the German and he’ll be looking to extend his lead coming into the race. Vettel fancies his chances this weekend and feels that the track suits the characteristics of the SF70-H. On the Kimi Raikkonen side of the Ferrari garage things are looking a bit tough. Raikkonen has come under fire for being a “laggard” by Ferrari Chairman Sergio Marchionne. Many feel that a sweeping statement like that is quite unfair to the Finn. What ever may be plaguing the Ice Man he has to start showing some performance and needs to start taking points off Bottas and Hamilton if Ferrari want to secure the Constructors Championship as well.

    While everyone was focusing on the Vettel-Hamilton Championship battle, Valtteri Bottas has been quietly plugging away on his side of the Mercedes garage and has brought himself into contention for the championship. After his victory at the Austrian Grand Prix, Bottas is now just 15-points behind Hamilton in the Championship standings.

    Mercedes have been quite dominant at Silverstone since the new generation of 1.6 litre turbocharged V6 engines have been introduced. It’s tough to see how they will not continue with the run of success they’ve had at Silverstone.

    It’s been a tale of contrasting stories at Red Bull. Max Verstappen has been suffering through a very bad patch of unreliability at the moment. He’s had a DNF in 5 out of the 9 races so far this season. His latest DNF at the Austrian Grand Prix was not his fault but it will weigh on him. As a racer there is nothing more frustrating.

    Daniel Ricciardo is enjoying a very good run of form as a regular visitor of the podium. Be it through luck of the draw, strategy, or through a brilliant performance. He’ll be hoping for some good points and another podium this weekend. Although the it’s no secret that the Red Bull car is down on power, they’ve closed the gap and have improved the car in other areas and they are able to mix it up with Ferrari and Mercedes up front.

    Watching an F1 car around Silverstone is always something special. Like with Spa and Monza it’s listed under the classic track banner. The new 2017 cars with the wider tyres and bigger wings will be insanely fast through the corners like Copse and Stowe and will be equally as impressive through the Maggots and Becketts. A good drive out of Becketts can setup a pass into Stowe or just before Vale.

    The racing at Silverstone rarely disappoints and with a three way battle for the championship emerging it looks like it will go down to the last race. But for now lets just enjoy the British Grand Prix.

     

    We thought we’d try something different. We’ve got our very own Natalie having a go at a hot lap around Silverstone. Leave your best time in the comments below.

  • Frédéric Vasseur Announced as Sauber Team Principal

    Frédéric Vasseur Announced as Sauber Team Principal

    The Sauber Formula One Team has announced Frédéric Vasseur as their new Team Principal following the departure of Monisha Kaltenborn last month.

    Vasseur, who was the former Renault team boss, will start his role at Sauber from 17 July 2017. That means the Sauber team will be without a team principal for the British Grand Prix.

    “I’m very proud to be joining Sauber Motorsport AG, and wish to thank the company’s shareholders for their trust in me,” said Vasseur on his appointment.

    “I’ve been impressed by the facilities in Hinwil and by the talent and ambition of the workforce, and I very much look forward to complementing the team with my experience and determination and drive all people in the right direction in everything they do: I am convinced that all together we will achieve ambitious targets.

    “I cannot wait to start working with our drivers, engineers and all the staff. I look forward to contributing to the next important phase in the development of the team.”

    Vasseur’s appointment comes just when reports are emerging that the Honda engine deal for 2018 has been cancelled by Honda. Initial reports are saying that the deal was cancelled after Kaltenborn left the team. If true, it leaves Sauber without engines for next season.

    The cancellation of the Honda deal and with Vassuer being appointed may lead to Sauber acquiring Renault engines from 2018. Vassuer, undoubtedly still has ties to his former Enstone team and a Renault engine deal does seem to make sense.

  • Silverstone Owners Trigger Break Clause to Host F1

    Silverstone Owners Trigger Break Clause to Host F1

    The British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) – owners of the Silverstone Circuit that currently hosts the British Grand Prix – have triggered a break clause in their contract to host the British Grand Prix.

    The break will take effect in 2019. Which means that the Silverstone Circuit will host it’s final F1 race in 2019.

    The BRDC felt that the deal currently in place to host British Grand Prix is unsustainable and they continue to make losses every year when hosting the race.

    “This decision has been taken because it is not financially viable for us to deliver the British Grand Prix under the terms of our current contract,” said John Grant the Chairman of the British Racing Drivers Club.

    “We sustained losses of £2.8m in 2015 and £4.8m in 2016, and we expect to lose a similar amount this year.”

    Grant says that they have reached a tipping point and have to be realistic about their situation and not make decisions based on their emotions.

    “We have reached the tipping point where we can no longer let our passion for the sport rule our heads,” he added

    “It would not only risk the very future of Silverstone and the BRDC, but also the British motorsport community that depends on us.

    “However, I want to be clear that although we have now activated the break clause, we are fully supportive of the changes the Liberty team are making to improve the F1 experience.

    “Our hope is that an agreement can still be reached, so that we can ensure a sustainable and financially viable future for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone for many years to come.”

    Silverstone the Home of the British Grand Prix

    Grant said that they decided to sign the deal in 2009 because it was the only deal on the table to ensure that the race was not lost and to keep the British Grand Prix on the F1 calendar.

    “The challenges associated with the contract signed in 2009 with the then owners of Formula 1 have been well documented,” Grant said.

    “Looking back, the decision to sign this contract was made to preserve the British Grand Prix and ensure this great, historic race was not lost.

    “This was the only deal on the table at the time and the decision was taken to keep the British Grand Prix alive.

    “But the reality is that for many years the British Grand Prix has made a net loss.

    “Despite being the most popular weekend sporting event in the UK – with a live audience of over 350,000 attendees – the net revenue we receive is not enough to cover the Grand Prix’s share of our overhead costs, let alone turn a profit.”

    No F1. No Problem

    Grant warned that should Silverstone be dropped from the F1 calendar, many jobs could be on the line. The majority of the F1 teams on the grid have factories that are situated in close proximity to Silverstone. Force India’s factory is situated right opposite the road from the circuit. He added that Silverstone would do fine without Formula 1.

    “While we would hate to lose the British Grand Prix, Silverstone will have a bright future without it – both commercially and in terms of continuing to serve as the heart of the British motor racing community.

    “But losing the British Grand Prix would have a negative impact that is felt far beyond Formula 1 and Silverstone.

    “Seven out of the 10 F1 teams are based in the UK – many close to Silverstone. This brings vital jobs to the country, as well as having a positive impact on the local communities and economy.

    “There’s a good reason why the area around Silverstone is known as the ‘Silicon Valley of motor sport’. Take away the British Grand Prix and this is all placed at risk.”

    F1 Group Hits Back

    Triggering the break clause will allow the BRDC a chance to re-negotiate the terms of the deal and possibly a cheaper fee to host the race. But the F1 Group has hit back at the announcement by the BRDC saying that the used the announcement to “posture and position” themselves.

    “The week leading up to the British Grand Prix should be a week of great celebration for F1 and Silverstone,” said the F1 Group in a statement.

    “We deeply regret that Silverstone has chosen instead to use this week to posture and position themselves and invoke a break clause that will take effect in three years‘ time.

    “We offered to extend the current deadlines in order to focus on everything that is great about Silverstone and Formula 1.

    “Regretfully the Silverstone management has chosen to look for a short-term advantage to benefit their position.”

    “Our focus is still to preserve the British Grand Prix,” it added. “We will carry on negotiating with the promoter in good faith and in private to reach a fair and equitable solution.”

  • F1 2017: Austrian Gp Review: Bottas Holds Off Vettel

    F1 2017: Austrian Gp Review: Bottas Holds Off Vettel

    The Austrian grand prix was a weekend that should have suited the Mercedes W08 to a tee. It did, but in the shape of Valtteri Bottas it wasn’t quite the Mercedes driver that most would’ve expected to see on the top step of the podium.

    The Finnish driver delivered a dominant performance not only throughout the 71-lap race but also over the entire grand prix weekend. So perfect was his pull-away from pole that it was nearly considered inhuman and inspected by FIA stewards for a possible jump-start. As it turns out Bottas’ reaction time of 0.201 was nothing more than flawless precision.

    The Mercedes driver streaked ahead in the first few laps and built a comfortable lead in the first stint of the race. The Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel, starting second, didn’t look especially comfortable in the first stint of the race on the ultrasoft compound and he struggled to consistently match Bottas’ pace. It was only in the second stint of the race, with the supersoft tyre, that the Ferrari came alive and that Vettel was able to exert a significant amount of pressure on the race leader. However, Bottas was well in control and armed with the notoriously calm Finnish demeanour that allowed him to maintain his composure and the lead of the race.

    007While Max Verstappen suffered a fifth retirement in six races after being collected in a first corner incident Daniel Ricciardo shone for Red Bull on home turf with a hard-fought third place. The Aussie valiantly held off the quicker Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages of the race to score his fifth consecutive podium finish of 2017. For Hamilton, in fourth, the day was about damage limitation, as he started eighth after incurring a 5-place grid penalty for changing a gearbox.

    Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen ran fourth in the first stint of the race and dove into the pitlane on lap 42. His longer first stint meant he fell behind Hamilton and while he was consistently catching the Brit in the second half of the race the impetus seemed to evaporate from his charge. Romain Grosjean ran an anonymous but impressive race to sixth ahead of the two Force India’s of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon in seventh and eighth. Felipe Massa and Lance Stroll, in ninth and tenth, recovered a difficult qualifying for Williams to round out the top ten.

    M72982Bottas may only have won the Austrian grand prix by 0.658 of a second but he showed incredible composure in the closing stages and an impressive dominance in the first half of the race. At Williams Bottas’ potential was somewhat masked but what the team’s requirement of him was. Naturally, he had the freedom to drive as rapidly as he possibly could but it was always slightly tempered with the knowledge that he needed to bring the car home in a decent points paying position.

    At Mercedes Bottas has a bit more freedom in the fact that a decent haul of points is already assured, barring unreliability. This is what’s allowed him to stretch his legs and drive with a sort of freedom that has allowed him to finally begin to fulfill the potential he showed before entering Formula 1.

    2017 Formula 1 Drivers Championship

    Sebastian Vettel’s now 20-point lead in the driver’s standings is a handy one as the paddock heads to Silverstone for the British grand prix. Lewis Hamilton at his home race has always been something special and with Vettel pulling away slightly in the standings he needs to deliver in Silverstone.

     

  • 2017 Austrian Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    2017 Austrian Grand Prix: Post Race Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes)

    2 – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)

    3 – Daniel RICCIARDO (Red Bull)

     

    PODIUM INTERVIEWS (Conducted by Martin Brundle)

    Q: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, what a cliffhanger of a race that was, wasn’t it? I hope you enjoyed it. And your three stars of today are up here on the podium. Valtteri, that was a tough one. This man was catching you at the end but you kept your head, you kept your tyres. It looked like you had it under control at the beginning but it ended up very close indeed.

    Valtteri BOTTAS: Yeah, I had a bit of a déjà vu in the end, what happened in Russia. He was catching up but the problem in the last stint was that I had a massive blister in the rear left since lap five or so; that made it quite tricky. In the beginning I could control the pace but in the end the backmarkers made it quite tricky but I’m really happy. It’s only my second win in my career. Thank you guys for the support and a massive thank you to the team (for) making this possible so thank you guys.

    Q: I’ve just seen a piece of paper from your start. You were right on the edge of the perfect start almost to a few milliseconds. You got away with that one! You took off well, didn’t you?

    VB: Yeah, I think that was the start of my life. I was just really on it today so it was good.

    Q: Good stuff. Second victory for you, third consecutive podium, you’re on a roll.

    VB: Yeah, there’s still a long year ahead. We’re not even at halfway so this makes good for the points but it’s still early days and we’re still developing as a team.

    Q: OK, moving on to Sebastian. Well, you’re twenty points ahead now in the World Championship, second today, a lot of people out there very happy about that. How do you feel about the race?

    Sebastian VETTEL: Well, how would you feel if you were just shy of half a second behind the winner. It was very close. Yeah, I was told he was in trouble; I was pushing anyway. I felt much happier in the second stint, second part of the race. In the first part of the race I was struggling a little bit to feel the car but then as soon as we put (on) the supersoft tyre, the car came alive and I had really good pace. I was catching little by little but then he obviously struggled so the last laps it was getting really close. I think I had Perez which cost me a bit of time with lapped cars. I think I needed one more lap because he was really struggling to get up the hill but yeah, obviously (I) wanted to win but nevertheless it was a good result.

    Q: You were on the radio, talking about the start. You felt it was a bit keen, did you?

    SV: No, I don’t think he… I was pretty sure he jumped it. Ask Daniel about it.

    Q: Yeah, because Daniel was on the radio… I will do exactly that. Daniel Ricciardo, fifth consecutive time on the podium and once again Daniel, it was a mega-overtake that was the key for the race for you, down into Turn 3 at the start. You got your elbows out against Kimi.

    Daniel RICCIARDO: Yeah, it was a fun race, some decisive moments at the start and then defending from Lewis the last couple of laps. It got pretty close but I just stuck to my braking points and when I thought the limit was and held (him) off. Five in a row is awesome, but to get it here in Austria… You know Max got the home podium last year and I was a bit envious, so it’s nice to be up here this year. It’s nice to see all the Red Bull and F1 fans here.

    Q: And Lewis was homing in as well. You were pretty under pressure at the end.

    DR: Yeah. I think the second last lap was the tightest. He got the DRS and he got a good exit out of (turn) one; mine wasn’t so good and he got close but yeah, nice to hold it off and I was very pleased to see the chequered flag.

    Q: He had a run down the outside into turn four; I thought he might have you there.

    DR: Yeah… I wasn’t going to brake if I didn’t need to but yeah, I thought it was clean and fair so that’s good.

    Q: Now I haven’t been up on the podium since you started the shoey stuff, so I hope you’re not going to deny me the honour… as long as I can keep it, as long as I can keep it for charity as well. I think we need four shoes though. I think it would be good to have some other shoes as well. Valtteri’s not up for… Valtteri, I need one more word with you.

    DR: I didn’t start this! I didn’t start this!

    Q: Valtteri, you were Driver of the Day, the fans voted you Driver of the Day, so congratulations on that, and I also believe, as I’m sure you do – thank you very much, you’ve got to do it quickly, haven’t you? This is going for charity. Thank you very much. You’ve got to finish it off if you don’t mind. This is the world expert at shoe-eys. That’s how you do it. Valtteri, you’re now a contender for the World Championship. You’re now really bringing yourself into play.

    VB: Yeah, we’re not even at the halfway of the year so I definitely believe – and the team believes – so it’s still a long year ahead and like I said, we are still developing so I’m just loving every moment and it’s very good.

     

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Congratulations to the top three finishers of the Austrian Grand Prix, our winner Valtteri Bottas, second place Sebastian Vettel, and third place Daniel Ricciardo. Well Valtteri, second win, how does this one compare to Russia, your first?

    VB: Well, the first one is obviously very special but it is only the second in my career, so that is also very special. It is important in the championship, at the moment, to get closer to the guys in front, Seb and Lewis. So it feels very good, very happy and we really had a strong car today and for me it was like the perfect weekend: pole position and a win so it’s really good to continue from here.

    Q: Just about the start; you said on podium it was the perfect start but were you a little bit nervous on those opening laps; did you think you might have over-cooked it?

    VB: No, when the car was moving, the lights were off so that was the main thing, so probably one of my best starts, maybe even quite risky, I think, but there’s not much more to gain at the start and I knew I had to make a good one.

    Q: Sebastian, talking of starts, how good was yours?

    SV: I think it was OK. Obviously, it’s always distracting… from my point of view he jumped the start but… obviously I was sure that he did; it looked like it from the inside of the car but it’s not for me to judge at the end of the day so I probably was a bit late because it’s quite tricky then to keep standing still but yeah, I think it was OK. I had a bit of wheelslip later on but overall I thought it was a good start.

    Q: Valtteri’s reaction time: 0.201s.

    SV: Don’t believe that.

    Q: OK. A few comments please about the end of the race; the supersoft tyre was marking up quite a lot. Just how much of a handful was it?

    SV: Marking up?

    Q: Blisters and…

    SV: Well, not for us. I think obviously Valtteri was more in trouble than us. For us, I think it was OK. I struggled a bit on the qualies… sorry, on the ultrasoft tyre. Yeah, second stint it was much better. I preferred the car, just not enough time, like Russia, I ran out of time.

    Q: Half on eye on the championship today, you’ve extended that gap to Hamilton.

    SV: I wanted to win. It’s been a race where the last couple of years it wasn’t really going in my direction so I’m happy to be on the podium, I think it’s a really nice trophy. The race here means a lot. Obviously I have a bit of a background with Austria so yeah, I really wanted to win so probably not entirely happy because I didn’t.

    Q: Daniel, you seemed particularly elated on the podium and on the slow-down lap. What does this one mean to you?

    DR: Yeah, quite a lot. It’s, for us as a team, as a brand, y’know, Red Bull, this weekend’s always a big one. On paper it’s not our strongest circuit and yeah, if it was a dry race we didn’t really… probably expect a podium if all the top guys finished. We knew Lewis had his grid penalty but yeah, we thought he was going to come through the field quicker,  I guess quicker than he did. So, it was a race where we had good pace. I was surprised that we were able to… I could see Seb for most of the race in the distance and he could see Valtteri, so just impressed with the pace that we had. And then Lewis has putting on a charge at the end. I think he was on the ultra-soft and yet he was really able to get some pace out of it. The second-last lap I didn’t get the best exit out of Turn One and he got a good run, so I defended into Three, and then I knew he had DRS so I had to defend in Four and yeah, I was just going to do all I could, basically, to keep the podium and I knew it wouldn’t be easy but I’m happy to have held that and, good for the team, good for the fans.

    Q: Your fifth consecutive podium. Do you feel you’re here on pace now? Legitimate pace. Do you feel you’re an equal to Mercedes and Ferrari?

    DR: Yeah, I think that’s probably the biggest satisfaction with today. Don’t get me wrong, the kind of relief over the finish line was for sure for the podium but I’d say the biggest happiness for today is that we had raw pace. Obviously Baku was a victory, but things happen in the race. Today we earned a podium on a circuit which for sure isn’t our strength. The car is certainly getting there and it’s all I can ask for.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Angelique Belokopytov – Autodigest) Daniel, congratulations, quick question, how do you feel, how are your thoughts when you are at one lap to be sure to step on the podium and you see Lewis Hamilton jumping so close suddenly. What happens in your head and how did you manage to keep your head cool?

    DR: I think the first thing that comes in my head is the word ‘fight!’ I know there’s going to be a fight on my hands and it’s just get prepared for that, get excited for that and just the main point is just to keep cool. I knew I would probably get to a point where I needed to defend, so in the heat of the battle still make sure you know where you need to brake, you still keep your wits about you, even if there’s a car alongside you, still look at the apex, still look at your braking point and just know where the limit is. I know if I brake at the very limit, if I’m on the inside I should still theoretically hold my line. So, yeah, it was a tough last few laps, I had some sweat coming down and my eyes were burning a little bit – that made it a little more exciting, the last few laps. Just a bit of a novelty one, otherwise it was fine. Just had to keep it clean, the traffic, the backmarkers… you’re always a bit nervous when you come across them, and at what point on the track but fortunately they didn’t affect the outcome of the race.

    Q: (Dan Knutson ­– Speed Sport/Auto Action) Valtteri, Seb said he needed one more lap: what do you think?

    VB: Well, for sure he was getting very, very close and they had more pace at the end. In that stint I was really struggling with the rear left, I had a big blister which was getting bigger and bigger and it was affecting more and more the stability of the rear, and also the backmarkers: sometimes I was losing time, especially in the last one, he lost more time so it was quite tricky with those – difficult to say, one more lap. Anyway, in other words I was happy the race ended that lap.

    Q: (Flavio Vanetti – Corriere della Sera) To Sebastian, we saw you in the first part with some struggling situations and in the second one you were flying. So, in the end of the day the buzz is that Ferrari is just a little bit behind Mercedes – or almost at the same level? Looking at Silverstone, above all.

    SV: I’m looking forward to Silverstone, should be a lot of fun with this year’s cars, first of all. Thinking about today the pace, again, it was a match, I think we were racing for the same tenths. In the first stint Valtteri was quicker, no doubt he was pulling away, opening a significant gap which allowed him obviously to come in later. Second stint he had fresher tyres, he ran into a problem – but overall in the second stint overall for us it was better in terms of balance. The first stint, probably for Valtteri was better. So I don’t think you could say that they were quicker on the ultrasoft, we were quicker on the supersoft. I think it was very close and probably he was happier with the car in the first stint than I was and the other way around in the second stint. We started from zero, he had eight metres advantage when the lights went off, and then we finished half a second behind each other. In the end, I think we had the same pace.

    Q: (Luis Vasconcelos – Formula Press) Valtteri, you had nearly eight seconds on Sebastian when he stopped and normally the leader stops the lap after but you stayed out quite a while. Were you doing that because you were not so confident about the supersofts or because you were trying to clear Kimi before the pitstop?

    VB: That is a good question – the team was controlling the stop and they just kept me out. I could see from the pitboard that the gap to Kimi was around 20 seconds. So, it was really close to getting ahead of him with the pit window. I was just trusting the team really and in the end of the stint the ultrasoft started to wear, which was quite late. It was a really robust tyre as well. For me the supersoft in the first three laps was good and then I had a blister in the rear left, which compromised the stint. I think it was good to stay out and minimise the time on the unknown supersoft really.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – GloboEsporte) Sebastian, now it looks like Valtteri is definitely in the fight for the world title, and it may be that he can take some points off your main competitor, Lewis Hamilton – which is not the case with Kimi Räikkönen who is coming behind. What analysis do you do of this situation. Also, if you are more worried with the FIA more rigorous to check especially the floor of your car that supposedly was bending.

    SV: I think we have a very quick car. I had obviously the… I was fortunate in the past to have very quick cars and they have always been checked a lot because people believe that something isn’t right. So, I guess if you go back to Mercedes and ask them about the last three years, they’ve been checked many times, so I see it as a compliment which I pass on to our aero department, chassis department, vehicle dynamics, everybody working really close with each other, we’ve done massive improvements, obviously, since last year, new set of regulations so I think it’s a compliment. I’m not worried. I know the guys are pushing but there’s no intention to build something that is not legal. What was the first part of the question?

    The championship fight

    SV: I don’t really care. Obviously, I’m not too happy today because I didn’t win. At the end of the day I had the clear aim today to win. Yeah, didn’t quite make it, it was very tight. Points-wise I know that the higher-up you finish, the better it is with points but whether it’s Valtteri, Lewis or someone else I think you’re fighting anyone out there for the race. That’s been the primary target today, the last races and will be next races. Then I think you change your minds fairly quickly in terms of who is a contender and who is not. We’re still quite early, there’s a lot of points to get, so I’m not too bothered at the moment.

    Q: (Ysef Harding – Xero Xone News) Daniel, congratulations, you’ve been really been putting in a lot of work for Red Bull, obviously. To get a podium here at Red Bull Ring, what does it mean for the team? What’s been doing it for you? Has it been Odessa, the trips to LA? Has it been ribs? What is it, man, what’s been keeping you on form in these last few laps?

    SV: If it’s ribs you have to share, you know that.

    DR: Yeah. Actually I did have ribs last night. I did have ribs! Yeah, certainly the schnitzel and the ribs are helping.

    SV: I had schnitzel! So maybe next race, Saturday night we have to dinner together and I’ll have what you have.

    DR: What, bangers and mash? Look, for sure I’m getting more comfortable with the car this year. Things are moving forward and I don’t know I can just see a little bit of a little sweet sport and it’s nice you know. I feel like we have got good momentum. The team is getting more positive, I’m getting more positive, so all that kind of forms into one and then you get a taste of a few podiums and you kind of want more. I knew the start would be important today, trying to clear Kimi and then once we got into that third spot then it was just trying to be relentless and keep the pace on. Yeah, outside of F1, sure, life is good. America is great when I go there, so I still need to go for those chicken waffles, so yeah, soon!

    Q: (Peter Farkas – Auto Motor) Sebsastian, Valtteri, regarding the start again: Valtteri you said that the important things was the car only moved after the lights went out. So, does that mean that you actually gambled a little bit and you were just lucky that the car didn’t move because you started your start procedure before that. And Sebastian, what you do mean by not believing that Valtteri had the reaction time of 0.2 seconds. The computer said that, so how can that not be. Can you please elaborate on that?

    VB: So, the start lights there is always the different variation since the five lights are on, since they go off, but the variation for quite a long time has not been massive, so you know more or less the zone when it is going to be off and you are so alert at that point and you are gambling between your reaction and guessing. Sometimes you get a mega one and sometimes you’re a bit late and today was my best reaction for the light. It is as long as you’re positive and it was fine. So all good.

    SV: First of all, to clarify it, I don’t want to take anything away from Valtteri, I think he drove an excellent race. Obviously at the end, with a difficult car he didn’t do a mistake, so he performed well. But when I said I don’t believe, it’s because I don’t believe. I think normally the reaction times are around 0.2 for everyone. I don’t think that everyone was that much slower today, that’s why I don’t believe that Valtteri was that much quicker. I had a strong belief at the time that he jumped the start. Turned out he didn’t, so I’m guessing that there is a reason to be believe he didn’t but I can’t believe that his reaction time was 0.2. That would be normal and in my point of view his reaction was inhuman, so… He said earlier that he is not human.

    VB: Just joking.

    SV: He’s Finnish.

    DR: Can I elaborate. Just to put my two cents in. As Valtteri said, the main thing is it was positive. The lights were held for a long time, more than normal. There is always a window but it did seem longer and when you are there and your revs are high and you’re waiting, waiting. For sure, he went, but the lights went out but I guess he got lucky. I did it in Formula 3 before, once. Yeah, it was on the edge, I’m sure you react, but at that same point the lights went out. In theory it’s not a natural reaction I don’t believe, but as Valtteri said if it’s plus then he’s safe. But I don’t believe he reacted to the lights.

    Q: And you were convinced at the time that he had jumped?

    DR: Yeah, I commented, I said it looked like Valtteri jumped. So yeah in the end he didn’t jump, because it was positive, but for sure he got a bit lucky. But as Seb rightly said, you can’t take the win away from him, so he did well. But that’s my opinion of how it went.

    Q: (Peter Vamosi – Vas Népe) Valtteri, Lewis Hamilton is telling the media that you are his best ever team-mate, he likes you very much. But have you ever told him that you beat all your Williams team-mate year by year?

    SV: You had only Felipe, no?

    VB: Maldonado as well. It is still only my fifth year racing in Formula One… or fourth? Fifth? Hah, hah! But yeah you know you are still at that point developing every single year. For sure, I think that Felipe Massa was an underrated driver, he is an extremely quick driver and it was not easy to be quicker than him and to get more points than him. But of course, now being against Lewis, he is definitely the best team-mate I have ever had. He is a three-time world champion; he is one of the best qualifiers ever in F1. But like Lewis said, we have a good team spirit and that is only positive for the team and we are working well together and that is good for us.

    Q: (Istvan Simon – Auto Magazin) A question for all three drivers. Silverstone is next, probably one of your favourite tracks, everybody seems to like. Do you think there are going to be some corners this year that are going to be flat with the new regulation cars and are you looking forward to that?

    VB: Definitely. The old Turn 1…. I’m not ever good with the corner names, you tell me!

    Q: Turn 9, Copse.

    VB: Yes, for sure that’s going to be flat. Then all the corners after that, Maggots, Becketts, they are going to be really quick, so it should be a lot of fun, so definitely we are going to enjoy it.

    Sebastian?

    SV: Well, I think the better question is which corners aren’t flat! I think we are all keen to find out. Silverstone is one of the best tracks. In all honesty I preferred the old Silverstone, I don’t like the new bit so much. But anyways, a lot of the old track is still there. So really looking forward to the fast corners. I think our car has been really strong this year in fast corners so I think it should be quite nice.

    Daniel?

    DR: Yeah, I got asked in one of the media sessions yesterday about Silverstone and I started giggling. Because, yeah, I love fast corners. I’ve been on the sim already and it looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun. This weekend we got a taste for it, particularly the second last corner here, Turn 9, was seventh gear. It was seriously quick compared to last year and I think that’s a sign of what Silverstone is going to be like. Copse – I would be very surprised if it’s not flat in qualifying. Yeah, between Copse and Stowe, that section of race circuit is probably if not the best part of a racing circuit we have all year, so I think this year it’s going to be a lot of fun.

  • F1 2017: Austrian Gp Qualifying Report – Bottas Secures Pole

    F1 2017: Austrian Gp Qualifying Report – Bottas Secures Pole

    Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas has secured pole position by half a tenth over the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel for the 2017 Austrian grand prix. While Lewis Hamilton set the third quickest time it’s Kimi Raikkonen who will start third as the Brit drops down five places to eighth as a result of a gearbox change.

    While Hamilton will start the race on the supersoft compound tyre, which will afford him a longer first stint, he must exercise extreme caution into turn one as he finds himself plumb in the middle of the infamous carbon fibre zone. He’ll also have the likes of the two Force India’s of Sergio Perez, seventh, and Esteban Ocon, ninth, to deal with. Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen will start fourth and fifth respectively for Red Bull’s home grand prix. Meanwhile, despite it being an obviously difficult car to drive Romain Grosjean will start sixth in the Haas. Carlos Sainz, in the Toro Rosso, rounds out the top ten.

    At all costs Hamilton must get through the first corner in one piece if he is to have any designs on limiting the damage to championship leader Sebastian Vettel.

    (Image courtesy of Pirelli Motorsport)

  • 2017 Austrian Grand Prix: Post Qualifying Press Conference

    2017 Austrian Grand Prix: Post Qualifying Press Conference

    DRIVERS

    1 – Valtteri BOTTAS (Mercedes)

    2 – Sebastian VETTEL (Ferrari)

    3 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

     

    TRACKSIDE INTERVIEWS (Conducted by Davide Valsecchi)

    Q: What a qualifying! Valtteri Bottas on pole position, was a spectacular lap. Valtteri please, your lap was amazing. Less than one tenth in front of Sebastian. Great job my friend.

    Valtteri BOTTAS: Thank you. Yes, it feels good. You know I really enjoy driving here in front of you guys, so thanks for the support but I enjoyed it today. The car was getting better and better as the grip was coming up and a decent lap in the end – not quite perfect but it was good enough.

    Q: Very well done. It was spectacular. First row, Sebastian, very well. Good improvement – all for you my friend. How was your lap?

    Sebastian VETTEL: Not quick enough, but I was very happy. The car was really good, last qualifying also for the last run, but then it was a bit of anti-climax with the yellow flags but yeah, very happy. It’s a great track, shame it’s a bit short but really enjoyable with a lot of high speed corners and the car’s been really phenomenal so looking forward to tomorrow. Should be a good race.

    Q: Lewis, look, they love you, they love you, there’s no way… Tell me about your last try. First corner maybe you lost the car a bit. How was the feeling on the car?

    Lewis HAMILTON: Well firstly, congratulations to Valtteri. He did a fantastic job. He’s been driving well all weekend and obviously Sebastian’s very quick this weekend so happy to have been third. Of course I would have loved to improve my lap but yeah, just wasn’t meant to be today.

    Q: Guys, sorry Lewis, come here. Seb, I would like to understand; now you have a good chance. You are on the first row, maybe Lewis is a bit behind because of the penalty. Can be good for tomorrow for you, no?

    SV: We will see. It’s a long race so a lot of things that can to happen. I think we have to look after ourselves, do our own race. It will be a tough race with Valtteri. He’s been quick all weekend, also yesterday, setting a good pace, so we will see. I think it should be a good race.

    Q: And Lewis, will it be the aim to catch this driver tomorrow or no? I mean the red cars, they are there…

    LH: I will do the best job I can, obviously. I want to get up there and try and get a one-two with Valtteri so I will do the best job I can to get further up.

    Q: Maybe also the soft tyres that you’re going to start on tomorrow can be the key of your race, no?

    LH: I have the supersofts for tomorrow. I think it’s generally a slower tyre than what they are on but it can go maybe longer, we will see.

    Q: Good luck to you. And Valtteri, please, last chat because today was amazing, I’m really happy for you. Tell me, which is the aim for tomorrow: not easy to stay in front of Sebastian but here you have a good chance. But you are outside on the start, maybe it can be…

    VB: I think like Sebastian said, it should be an interesting, good fight for tomorrow but there’s targets, the target is not less than winning, of course for us and I’m sure Lewis still has a good race ahead, a lot of time to come back and get good points for us as a team. I can’t wait for tomorrow, honestly.

    Q: Best of luck, best of luck. Please guys, I need a handshake with you both, you [Lewis] with Sebastian. Handshake. Please my friend.

    LH: We’ve already stood together.

     

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Valtteri, you looked pretty hooked up throughout that session. How good was the car, how good was that lap?

    VB: Yeah, I really enjoyed it today. Always when you enjoy, normally the result is good. Definitely got the car nice and stable for the qualifying and just was able to build up the confidence and this is a track where you really need it in those high-speed corners. Yeah, found the balance, didn’t really touch the car at all during the qualifying. The laps were getting better and better and that was the result. As a team again we have done a great job over the weekend to make the car better and I felt good today.

    Q: Well done. Sebastian, so close between you and Valtteri in the end. Can you pinpoint where you lost out? How good was the session for you?

    SV: I think it was pretty good. I think Q3 was pretty good, I was very happy with the lap. But in all fairness, what goes around, comes around. I think I have been on the lucky side a couple of times, especially against Valtteri, with tight gaps. I think the four hundredths today is tight. The story continues between us two. Well done, obviously, to him. He said that he still had a bit of margin. I was pretty happy with my lap to be honest. Maybe there was a sniff in the last corner. It’s a short track, not easy to get everything right, so overall I was pretty happy. The car was good. I think we did a good step from yesterday to today, so hopefully we can carry that into the race.

    Q: Lewis, it’s been a difficult day for you, with problems in the final practice session and then having to run a different strategy during qualifying, just talk us through the session itself.

    LH: It was a pretty straightforward session, no real issues. The car was good. Valtteri did a fantastic job today, so really happy for him. I just didn’t hook it up when it got to Q3. Q1 and Q2 were good and then Q3 was just so-so.

    Q: Was Q3 somehow compromised by having to run the supersoft tyre in Q2?

    LH: I wouldn’t say too much. Of course the tyres are a little bit different but generally I’m experienced enough, shouldn’t be really a big problem.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Tom Slater – Soymotor) Lewis, here in Austria in 2014 you started the race P9 and you ended P2, so do you think you will be able to do this result tomorrow and if you do will you be happy with it?

    LH: I’m pretty sure that back then there was a bigger difference in speed deltas between us and other cars so I think it’s more unlikely than it was then, but I will give it everything I can and of course I would be happy if I could get up there.

    Q: (Peter Farkas – Auto Motor) Question for the Mercedes drivers. Valtteri, congratulations for the pole position, you’ve always been quick at this track, there’s a win to take tomorrow but I don’t want to suggest any gamesmanship but obviously it would be quite an easy strategy for you to go a bit slower in the front so Lewis can keep the pace and then he would be in a strategic advantage at the second part of the race. Would you be willing to do that? And Lewis, how much longer do you think you will be able to go with the supersoft than with the ultrasoft?

    VB: Well, what I’ve seen on the pre-race strategy notes, that kind of plan is not on those notes so, yeah, we need to focus on having a good start of the race and we need to win the race. And for sure Lewis can fight back from where he’s starting. Y’know, if you start playing games like that here it’s quite tricky. If the car behind gets within the DRS zones and gets a good slipstream, it only needs one mistake and you can lose the win. So not planning on that at the moment.

    And Lewis, your strategic options for tomorrow?

    LH: It makes no sense for Valtteri to slow down. That will not be the case. It makes sense for him to push as hard as he can to win the race.

    And starting on the supersoft tyre instead of the Option?

    LH: I don’t think it’s going to make a big difference if I’m really honest. It’s a slower tyre so, I think in the first stint, it’s just about length. But lots of different things could happen: safety cars, rain, who knows?

    Lewis, how confident are you of winning this grand prix from P8.

    LH: I couldn’t say I was… Valtteri has been quickest all weekend, so it’s not really on my mind at the moment.

    Q: (István János Simon – Automagazin) My question is mainly to Sebastian and Lewis. The weather forecast says there’s a high percentage of rain for tomorrow for the race. Do you count on that? Can you calculate with that and do you think you will be able to do a strong race if it rains when we’ve had all the practice sessions in dry?

    SV: I think it’s fair also to ask the question to Valtteri as well, he’ll be racing tomorrow as well so if it rains we’re all affected. But, I don’t know, I think we have a different weather forecast then. I need to check with our guys – but, yeah, we’ll see. We have the wet tyres, they are ready. It’s always tricky if you haven’t done a single session in the wet but I think we had some experience last year so if it rains, it rains, we fit wets or inters and we try to race. We’ll see.

    Valtteri, wet weather?

    VB: Yeah, it’s so difficult to predict here if it’s going to be wet or not. A bit like Friday, we just need to wait and see what happens and react to that. But of course we all want to race if it’s wet – but it depends on the conditions.

    LH: Not really much more to add. Could be helpful being that I’m eighth or something like that. Makes it a bit more of a lottery.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Lewis, when you know already before the weekend that you’re going to lose five grid positions, what is the mindset, is it still a normal race weekend or do you have different strategies during Friday and Saturday?

    LH: You still approach it exactly the same. Nothing changes at all, if I’m honest. It’s just really trying to get yourself as high as possible and when it comes to the race it’s about damage-limitation. You try to minimise the damage. I found out on Tuesday, I think it was and, of course, you go in with a very positive mind about coming back and fighting and then of course something like that hits us. It’s difficult for us all to swallow but we pull together as a team and we work as hard as we can. We’ve still got great performance and hopefully I can do a good job for the team tomorrow and get some good points.

  • F1 2017: Austrian Gp Free Practice 3 Report – Vettel Leads

    F1 2017: Austrian Gp Free Practice 3 Report – Vettel Leads

    Sebastian Vettel set the quickest time for Ferrari in the third free practice session ahead of the Austrian grand prix.

    The Saturday practice session commenced under overcast conditions but without any threat of rain. Carlos Sainz lost roughly half the session to an engine issue. However, the Toro Rosso was speedily recovered to the garage and the Spaniard was able to rejoin the session with about twenty-five minutes remaining.

    Lewis Hamilton didn’t look as comfortable around the Red Bull Ring but still set the second quickest time overall. Nevertheless, his session ended prematurely with a front-right brake failure. As if to compound matters Hamilton will drop five places from wherever he qualifies due to a gearbox change. Valtteri Bottas, Kimi Raikkonen, Max Verstappen, and Daniel Ricciardo completed the top six.

    While Williams struggled for pace with Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa in 18th and 19th respectively, Kevin Magnussen slotted his Haas F1 car into seventh ahead of teammate, Romain Grosjean, in eighth.